What is B33?

The Horsehead Nebula, Barnard 33 (B33), is a cold, dark cloud of gas and dust, silhouetted against the bright nebula, IC 434. The top of the nebula is sculpted by radiation from a massive star located out of the field of view in this photograph. Its unusual shape was discovered on a photographic plate in the late 1800s by E. E. Barnard.

The Horsehead nebula lies just south of the bright star Zeta Orionis, which is easily visible to the unaided eye as the left-hand star in the line of three that form Orion's Belt. Amateur astronomers often use the Horsehead as a test of their observing skills - it is known as one of the more difficult objects to observe visually with an amateur-sized telescope.

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